


'Cold today, isn't it?'

by sassy_dae



Series: NCT Winter Drabbles [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cute, Drabble, First Meetings, Fluff, Johnny is smitten with beret guy, M/M, Meet-Cute, and gives him a scarf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassy_dae/pseuds/sassy_dae
Summary: Johnny sees Beret Guy at the bus stop every morning. He doesn’t know his name, his age, what he does, or where he’s going, but Johnny knows that he makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Relationships: Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: NCT Winter Drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2051646
Comments: 24
Kudos: 121





	'Cold today, isn't it?'

**Author's Note:**

> For twitter 'a little wonder' December Drabble Challenge Day 4: Scarf

Running late (per usual for a Monday morning), Johnny jogs to the bus-stop with a (luckily) full cup of coffee intact. He comes to an abrupt stop, catching his breath as he sees his bus approaching down the street. 

“Cutting it close, huh?”

Johnny turns around, searching for the source of the smooth, velvety voice. He looks down at a shorter ( _much_ shorter) man who smiles up at him brightly. He has large, pretty eyes that squint slightly in the morning sun and auburn wavy hair peeking out from under an adorable, black beret. He’s bundled up in a large puffy coat, bag slung over his shoulder, and his own hot coffee in hand (he looks delicious enough to eat, and small enough to fit in his pocket). Johnny stares at him unblinking, unable to formulate any words. The man nods in greeting and turns towards the arriving bus, stepping on as the doors slowly open. 

Johnny stumbles after him (slow to remember that it’s his bus too), tripping over the step and spilling some of his coffee on the sidewalk. He sighs, looking up and into the sparkling eyes of the stranger. He flushes, but manages to smile back.

* * *

Johnny makes it on time the next morning (with five minutes to spare!), allowing him to take a breather and enjoy his coffee. He takes a sip and looks around, spotting Beret Guy (as he’s decided to call him in his head) crossing the street. Today he is wearing a tan beret with a matching cream-colored coat (but still no scarf). Johnny watches him, noticing how he walks as if he’s gliding, seemingly unperturbed by the chaos and rush of the morning commute. He’s cuter than Johnny remembers (all rosy cheeks and small smile playing on his lips), but still as radiant. 

“Good morning!” He greets Johnny cheerfully. “Made it on time today, I see.”

Johnny opens his mouth to respond, but nothing comes out, somehow forgetting how to formulate words. So he closes his mouth, managing to at least smile and nod in response. Sipping his coffee, Johnny’s eyes drift down to Beret Guy every few seconds. He hums to himself, enjoying whatever music is playing through his earbuds, slightly swaying as if in his own little world. Johnny bites his lip, trying not to smile at just how cute this guy is. He tries to think of things to say, anything to get a conversation going instead of just awkwardly standing beside each other (or at least, Johnny feels awkward about it). But the minutes tick by and soon enough his is out of coffee and their bus quickly approaches. 

He follows Beret Guy onto the bus, sitting across from him towards the back. He smiles at Johnny, and Johnny wonders if it’s suddenly very warm in this bus or is it just him? When Beret Guy hops off (six stops, two before Johnny’s, as he noted the day before), he turns to Johnny with a small smile. “Have a nice day!”

“Y-you too,” Johnny manages to reply, giving him a small wave. Beret Guy’s smile widens, blinding Johnny into oblivion. He replays their interaction over and over in his head, almost missing his own stop. 

* * *

The five to ten minutes Johnny spends at the bus-stop every morning soon become the highlight of his day. He looks forward to it the moment he wakes up, putting a pep in every step as the anticipation of seeing Beret Guy grows. He can’t explain it, but Beret Guy gives off a calming, warming presence that Johnny finds addicting (almost as addicting as a morning cup of coffee, and almost just as necessary by this point). 

With each encounter, Johnny slowly begins to relax and open up (seeing Beret Guy still makes his heart feel like it might explode, but he’s learned to live with the sensation). He has graduated from simply smiling and nodding to responding like a (relatively) normal person to such repartee as ‘Good morning!’ and ‘Cold today, isn’t it?’ or ‘I can’t live without my morning coffee, can you?’ and ‘Have a good day!’ He even ventured once to initiate conversation with the innovative and show-stopping ‘Looks like it might snow today’.

It’s friendly, but never anything more than pleasantries. And if Johnny is being honest (which he is), he wants _more_. He wants to know what makes Beret Guy so chipper in the mornings, what kind of coffee he likes drinking, and what music is he always dancing to (and most importantly, _does he have a boyfriend)._ Because Beret Guy makes Johnny’s days brighter with his simple cheery greetings and cute smile. When he sees Beret Guy wave at him from across the street and stride towards him, Johnny’s heart grows incrementally. And when he stands beside Johnny, vibing to his music and softly humming, enjoying his morning coffee, Johny feels warm. He can only imagine how much warmer and happier he would feel if he just got to know Beret Guy a little more. Johnny, however, isn’t sure how to cross the boundary from friendly bus-stop strangers to friendly acquaintances, but he wants it _badly_. 

When Beret Guy shivers as a cold gust of wind blows by, turtling into his coat (the cutest turtle he just wants to put in his backpack and take home), Johnny gets an idea. 

* * *

Johnny checks his bag for the 100th time, making sure he has the gift within easy reach. He nervously shuffles his feet, eyes scanning the sidewalk across the street. Beret Guy rounds the corner, back to wearing his black beret (the same one he wore the first time Johnny noticed him (and _no,_ he’s not keeping track of all his different berets and coats)).

“Good morning!” Johnny says first, waving shyly. 

“Morning, bus-buddy!” Beret Guy greets him warmly, sending Johnny’s heart fluttering. He clutches the gift in the pocket of his bag, deciding if now is a good time to give it to Beret Guy. But as Beret Guy stares up at him with his big, piercing eyes, Johnny starts to have second thoughts. It had seemed like a good idea last night, but now he isn’t so sure (Is this weird? _Is he being weird?_ ). He slowly turns to look at Beret Guy who seems to be scrolling through his phone for a song to play. Once decided, he puts his phone away and looks back over to Johnny, frowning slightly. 

“Are you ok? You look really pale,” Beret Guy says, voice soft. Johnny swallows and shakes his head, giving him what he hopes passes as a reassuring smile. It seems to appease Beret Guy who nods, taking a sip of his coffee. He’s about to put his earbuds into his ears when he takes a double look at Johnny, turning to him with a quirked eyebrows. “No coffee today?” He asks, lifting his own cup.

“I was in a rush and forgot it,” Johnny mumbles. It’s true—he was so fixated on his gift that he completely forgot to prepare his French Press and didn’t have time to stop at the coffee shop along the way. 

“That’s too bad, coffee is part of every well balanced morning.” Beret Guy moves to take another sip before stopping, thinking for a moment. He lifts the cup towards Johnny, tilting his head in question, “Do you want the rest of mine? I can always get some at work.” The gesture is so kind, so considerate that it fills up every hole in Johnny’s heart. With a smile, he politely declines. 

Another few minutes pass by, and Johnny tries to find an opening to present his gift. But he can’t seem to find the right moment, and the board at the bus-stop says he only has 2 minutes until their bus arrives. _It’s now or never,_ Jonny psyches himself up. With a deep breath, he takes it out of his bag. 

“Um, excuse me?” he says, tapping Beret Guy on the shoulder. Beret Guy turns, giving Johnny his full undivided attention—big, pretty eyes looking up at him with a small smile on his lips ( _God_ does Johnny want to stuff him in his pocket and cuddle him to death). Johnny’s hands tremble slightly as he presents Beret Guy with a thick, bright yellow scarf. “I noticed you don’t wear a scarf, and it’s going to get really cold tonight. So…here!” He pushes it towards Beret Guy, bowing his head slightly and closing his eyes tightly. Nothing happens for a few seconds, and Johnny begins to panic ( _why_ did he think this was a good idea?!). As he starts to formulate an escape plan, he feels the scarf disappear from his hands. He opens his eyes and peaks at Beret Guy grinning from ear to ear, cheeks slightly pink (and Johnny doesn’t think he’s seen anything so beautiful in his life). Beret Guy inspects the scarf before shaking his head and handing it back to Johnny.

“It’s really beautiful, and I appreciate the gesture. But I can’t just take this from you; you’ll need it yourself!” He says in a small voice, sounding a bit overwhelmed. 

“No, it’s fine! I have a very large collection at home. One for every outfit. See? I’m wearing one right now.” He pushes the scarf back, gloved hands brushing against Beret Guy’s own. “Please, I insist.”

Beret Guy slowly takes it back, biting his lip as his whole face turns red. He carefully wraps it around himself, snuggling into it.

“You know, I lost my scarf on the bus last year and never got around to replacing it. And yellow is my favorite color,” Beret Guys gives a small laugh, the large scarf bouncing slightly. “So, thank you. It’s perfect.” He looks at Johnny beaming, and Johnny thinks the risk of seeming like a crazy person was well worth it. 

* * *

When Johnny arrives at the bus-stop the next morning, Beret Guy is already there. And he’s wearing the gifted yellow scarf. He’s easy to spot, standing out like a sunflower in the grey, winter landscape (the bright spot in Johnny’s mornings).

“I see the scarf is being put to good use,” Johnny says by form of greeting. 

“It is! Thanks again,” Beret Guy gives him a little nod, snuggling into his scarf as proof that he’s using it well. “I wanted to do something to thank you, but all I could think of was giving you this,” Beret Guy hands him a fresh, hot cup of coffee. “You didn’t have one yesterday, and just in case you forgot again this morning, I went ahead and got you one.”

Johnny looks at him with big eyes, his heart swelling with affection for a man he barely knows (though he hopes to know better soon). He takes the offered cup, “Thanks, I actually did forget again, so you’re my savior.”

“Anytime,” Beret Guy nods, clearing his throat before taking a sip of his own drink. “Also, I realized yesterday that I don’t know your name. We’ve been bus-buddies this whole time without knowing each other’s names! I’ve just been referring to you as ‘Gentle Giant’ in my head. No offense, of course. You’re _really_ tall, if you haven’t noticed.”

“I’ve noticed,” Johnny laughs, knowing he’s taller than average. “I’ve been calling you ‘Beret Guy’.”

“That makes sense!” He tips his head, gesturing to his hat. “I do have a large collection, and winter seems like the most appropriate time to wear them.”

“I think you could pull them off all year round,” Johnny smiles, blushing as Beret Guy gives him an appreciative smile. 

“I’m Taeil. Moon Taeil,” he says, extending a bare hand towards Johnny.

“Suh Johnny. A pleasure to meet you.” Johnny takes Taeil’s smaller hand in his, feeling for the first time just how soft his skin feels and how warm he is to the touch.

“Oh, believe me, the pleasure is all mine,” Taeil says with a wink. He squeezes Johnny’s hand before letting go, fingers lingering for a second, and Johnny is convinced he might pass out from his heart rate skyrocketing. Taeil stares into Johnny’s eyes, his smile growing incrementally with each passing second. Johnny laughs, rubbing a hand behind his neck and he looks down at his shoes shyly. He isn’t sure what’s going to happen between them now, but it feels like the beginning of _something._

* * *

(Every morning Johnny waits for the yellow scarf to appear around the corner, a warm smile greeting him behind its thick threads. But winter eventually turns to spring, and the scarf has to be stored away. Under the blooming flowers and green trees, Johnny doesn’t have to wait for Taeil anymore. They walk to the bus stop hand in hand, sharing one big cup of coffee between them.)

**Author's Note:**

> Random Notes:  
> +I tend to like writing long works, so I did this to challenge myself...it was so hard lol  
> +Yes, I could not resist using Taeil's new nickname - Beret Guy.  
> +I have a few other ideas for the other drabble challenge days, so please look forward to those!
> 
> 12/24/20: twitter user [@29yyyyyyy3326](https://twitter.com/29yyyyyyy3326?s=20) created the most adorable fan art!! please check it out here:[boop!](https://twitter.com/29yyyyyyy3326/status/1342140705670492160?s=20)
> 
> Come say hi/follow me on:  
> +tumblr [@shining-moon-taeil](https://shining-moon-taeil.tumblr.com)  
> +twitter @shining_taeil_


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